Introduction: God as Creator, Preserver, and Governor

Introduction

INTRODUCTION In two previous volumes 1 we considered God as He is in Himself. The remaining treatises of what is commonly called Special Dogmatic Theology treat of Him in relation to His various works, both of the natural and the supernatural order. God’s first and primal work is the Creation of the universe. Creation constitutes the fundamental and essential postulate of all being and operation in the natural order as well as of all supernatural institutions, such as the Incarnation, Grace, the Sacraments, etc. Hence, the dogmatic treatise De Deo Creante et Elevante, which forms the subject matter of this volume, views God as the Author of Nature and the Supernatural. A true idea of Creation is indispensable to deepen and perfect the conception of God gained from the two preceding treatises. l God: His Knowability, Essence, and Attributes, A Dogmatic Treatise. Prefaced by a Brief General Introduction to the Study of Dogmatic Theology. By the Rev. Jos. Pohle, Ph.D., D.D. Authorised English Version, with Some Abridgement and Added References, by Arthur Preuss. St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder 191 1. — The Divine Trinity. A Dogmatic Treatise. By the Rev. Joseph Pohle, Ph.D., D.D. … Authorized English Version, with Some Abridgement and Numerous Additional References, by Arthur Preuss. St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder 191 1. Creation may be regarded from two distinct points of vantage: either (i) subjectively, as the creative act of God (actus creationis); or (2) objectively, as the result of this act, namely, the work of Creation (opus creationis). Hence the present volume embraces two main divisions: (I) Creation considered as a divine act, and (II) Creation considered as the result of that act, or the created universe. PART I CREATION CONSIDERED AS A DIVINE ACT As the innermost Essence of God is self-existence,2 so the cosmos (by which we mean everything not-God) is essentially dependent on God as its first and sole cause. The universe is no ens a se; it is entirely ab alio. This dependency is co-existent with the universe in all its phases. From the moment of its creation down to the hour of its consummation the universe is and remains essentially ens ab alio. It depends on God for its being and operation, and would sink back into nothingness without Him. Consequently God’s absolute causality must be our guiding principle in studying the doctrine of Creation. It is in the light of this principle that we must envisage the created universe, all things visible and invisible, the whole of nature and the supernatural order. Considered in His causal relation to the universe, God is its Creator; considered in relation to the continued existence of the universe, He is its Preserver and the Principle of all creatural action; considered in His relation to the end of the universe (taking end in the sense of causa finalis), He is the ultimate goal of Creation and its Governor by virtue of Divine Providence. We shall treat these three aspects of Creation in as many separate Chapters. 2 Cfr. Pohle-Preuss, God: His Knowability, Essence, and Attributes, pp. 133 sqq. 3